Goodbye 2005...Hello 2006

Currently 30 weeks and 4 days.
Oh what a year. Kevin and I got married and are now expecting our first child. How exciting. 2005 was an amazing year. We had tons of "new" experiences in our life. And now we'll enter the New Year with even more excitement and experiences. We already have plans for our 2006 year. Not just with Baby M coming into our lives...but some other plans we'll announce later!
Just another added chapter of our lives...

On another note..."No sweets, no starchy foods…."
I can't believe it. I never thought I'd have to worry about something like this. Just got a call from my Dr.'s office saying that my glucose tets came back too high. In other words...."gestational diabetes". Basically my body isn't able to use the sugar in my blood as well as it should. Right now I'm "borderline" so hopefully I can manage it. So from now on I'm supposed to monitor my sugar levels. I also should be staying away from "sugars" and "starchy" foods. OH GREAT! My two favorite things! Hopefully after monitoring it for awhile things will be fine.

Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays to everyone. This Christmas will be a quiet Christmas with just Kevin and I. We'll have my brother, sister in law and nephew over tomorrow. We'll have to enjoy this Christmas for it will be our last Christmas Holiday..."just the two of us". Next year we'll be an exciting baby's 1st Christmas! Can't wait.

9th prenatal Costochondritis

Ever heard of it? Yah..me neither!
At my appointment, I had the routine check up. Weight, heartbeat, questions..etc. Everything checked out fine. Still not much weight gain. Just a pound from the last appointmen. Dr. Phillips gave me my results from the ultrasound on my pains I was having. He said it was good news that it wasn't gallstones. WHEW! What he thinks it may be is something called "costochondritis". Nothing can be done to make it go away or make it better. Basically it is an inflammation of the cartiliage around the rib cage. Not sure how it occurs or why, but he says it could be because of the uterus pushing up into the chest walls. Gee whiz! Does it ever end when being pregnant? Like us women don't have enough aches and pains while pregnant?
It hurts even when I'm not doing anything. But hurts more when I cough, sneeze, move a certain way, bend, lift....it's never ending!! Sometimes it's painful pain, others it's a painful burning or stinging sensation. Either way....it sucks! So a heating pad and Tylenol is the best thing for it.

29 weeks

Time is flying and I have had 2 appts with Dr. Phillips since Dec. 6th. Things have been a bit odd here and there, but everything is going well. I've gained a pound..YAY! My belly is still the same size around. It's starting to feel a bit more exhausting and heavy when doing things around the house, moving in bed and sometimes walking. The nursery is pretty much done minus a few decorations Kevin still has to put up. We start our Childbirthing Classes January 3rd. We're waiting anxiously for the arrival of our baby....

OUCH! Abdominal Pains!

I was in OB Triage yesterday for about 5 hours. For the past 3-4 days I've been having painful chest pains. Well, not really in my chest, but more around the right side of my rib cage. I ignored it for awhile and just figured it was "another one of thse pregnancy pains". But after so many days I decided to check in with the Triage nurse to see what I could do for relief. When I explained what my symptoms were, the Triage Nurse told me to come in right away. I drove myself into Triage since Kevin was at work. When I checked in, the nurses told me Dr. Phillips was on duty that night. Good! They hooked me up to the stress monitor and all the other machines to monitor Baby and I. My Dr. came in and thought it may be gallstones. OUCH! So they did blood work and an ultrasound right away. The blood work came back negative, but the ultrasound was taking longer. After being there for 5 hours, my Dr. suggested I go ahead and go home, rest and take it easy. I had a schedule appointment with him in 2 days anyways.

Our 8th Prenatal Appointment

Just a quick checkup. 28 weeks. My ribs have been hurting a lot still. Dr. suggested to stop wearing an underwire bra and start wearing sports bras for comfort.
No weight gain change.

We Made it! Happy Birthday Daddy!

Currently: 27 wks 1 day
We're heading into our 3rd Trimester. YAY! We had an ultrasound today on Kevin's bday. Everything went well. Baby "M" is growing well on schedule. Baby weighed in at 2lbs 3 oz. The technician gave us a CD of all the images taken during the ultrasound. We also got some 3D pictures. Baby seems to have a filipino nose already and big lucious lips!
I've been having bad back and hip pains which I'm sure is just "part of pregnancy". I've also had horrific abdominal pains. I've had it for 3 days now so I decided to call the Triage nurse and she told me it could be Braxton Hicks Contractions. YIKES!
As of today, I've gained a total of 3lbs in weight and approximately 6 1/2 inches in my waist!

Daddy feels Baby M!

Kevin finally felt the baby move for the first time. Lately the baby has been moving so much, not just when I'm laying down. And Baby's kicks/nudges/punches have been so much stronger this month than ever before. We could even see my belly move!

Is that a stretch mark I see?

We were in Fairfield for the weekend. My parents had a Baby Shower for us. I woke up in the morning to get ready, as I got out of the shower I noticed faint red marks around my belly button. OH NO....is that stretch marks I see? There's that other dreadful pregnant thing next to the outie belly button. I swear I used cream everyday, twice a day...but I still got them. Oh well...hopefully they go away after pregnancy like most women say.
The baby shower was successful. It was great to see all of my family and friends. Most of my relatives predict a Baby Girl in my belly. Ya know...all that Filipino superstition. Everyone was so surprised at how much weight I have not gained and how much I am glowing.

Our 7th Prenatal Appointment

Had another rough night of no sleep. I lied awake for hours watching Kevin and Meka sleeping so soundly. Dr's appt was fine. Still no weight gain. I've grown about 7 inches total in my waist though! YIKES. So I'm growing, not gaining...YET.
I found out yesterday that my favorite cousin Joel and his wife Marie are also expecting. I'm so happy for them! It'll be so fun for us to go through pregnancy together. They're about 9 weeks right now and due in June. Congratulations Joel and Marie!

Stay at Home Mommy in Training

It's been a week since I stopped working. Been hard trying to keep busy or stay away from becoming a couch potato!
Baby M has been moving a lot still. I hear it only gets stronger from here. I noticed my belly button starting to peek out more. ARRGGHH! The one fear I have being pregnant is my belly button becoming an outie. I know it may sound weird, but it's not something I'm looking forward to. The boobs are getting bigger than ever and have been sore still. The linea negra has become more visible, but not that bad.
My sleep habits haven't been too good. There are nights where I can't sleep a full night through. I usually get up and have to watch tv for a few hours before falling asleep again. The heating pad has become attached to me lately. My hips and lower back have been very painful. Acts up more when I'm walking a lot.

Taebo Baby

I think our baby is doing taebo in my stomach! I had the weirdest feeling lastnight. Kevin slept with his hand on my stomach all night. The baby was moving like crazy. He/She must've known it wasn't my hand. I got this weird shooting pain throughout my whole side. It was so strong it made me jump in my sleep! I felt that about 3 times throughout the night along with the usual kicks and tumbles the baby has been doing.

6th Prenatal Appointment

I think I can finally say I'm feeling GOOD! So far I've had no more morning sickness. I still haven't been able to cook much but other than that I'm fine.
I had yet another prenatal appointment with Dr. Phillips this afternoon. Everything is still growing as planned, heartbeat was loud and strong. I still haven't gained any weight. Total from since my 2nd appt I've gained 3lbs. That's it. I don't know whether I should be happy or sad. I wish my metabolism was this good when I wasn't pregnant. I was concerned by Dr. Phillips told me it's nothing to worry about. He said most likely the weight will come in the end. Oh no!!

17 weeks

We had our Level II ultrasound done today at Geddes Imaging. An hour of poking around, seeing the baby and taking pictures. It was great! Baby was very active during this ultrasound. He/She was wiggling his/her feet and waving its hands. After a half hour or so of showing off, Baby M became quite shy. We still decided to keep the sex of the baby a surprise. We got great shots of the hands, face and feet of Baby M. I think reality really started to set in finally seeing an image so detailed.
Baby M is definitely a McMaster...the shots of the hands and feet were shocking! Big feet just like his/her Daddy! We got a great profile image that we couldn't stop gawking at. The whole experience made our day. It made Kevin and I smile so much.

Portland Trip Weekend

Kevin and I took a trip to Portland, Oregon this weekend. (The second flying trip since being pregnant.) We also met friends, Kerri and Alex and explored the city together. The weather was not quite what we're used to, but we enjoyed eating out and being tourists.
Baby "M" did fine as well. We didn't have any problems when flying TO Portland, but when we returned Baby must've been exhausted. I ended up getting sick as soon as we landed into Phoenix.

4 months! First baby movements felt

Still have hives! I went back to work but itched like crazy. Couldn't do much about it but kept putting Benedryl on the hives and taking Benedryl pills.
I felt the baby move for the first time. It was definitely "quickening". It mostly happens when I'm getting ready to go to bed, when I'm relaxed.
I've been sleeping better with my total body pillow. I'm LOVING IT!

14 weeks 1 day

Had our prenatal appointment. We heard the heartbeat again. Still very strong. My blood pressure was much better but Dr. Phillips is recommending I take calcium supplements. It seems that all the aches and pains I've been having are "common pregnancy" pains. So I shouldn't worry too much, but also should never ignore a pain.

Picture taken at: 14 wks 4 days

Aches and Pains

Just going through the motions with this pregnancy. I can't say I've "enjoyed" it much still. Hopefully when all this morning sickness goes away I can say I'm feeling good.

• Bad Allergies
• Heart palpitations
• Heartburn
• Back pains
• Pain under rib cage
• Bloody nose
• Abonormal appetite
• Occasional naseau
  
  

12 weeks

Labor Day weekend, I've been exhausted from our previous travels and my blood pressure has been high lately. Dr. Phillips is concerned and needs me to relax the next few weeks and bring the blood pressure down.
My parents and sister came into town this weekend as well.

Back to reality. Our 4th prenatal appointment

We're back from our belated honeymoon trip. 2 weeks of vacationing was awesome and very much needed.
Today I had my 4th prenatal appt. Everything was well except for my elevated blood pressure.

Our Third Prental Appointment - BON VOYAGE!

Currently: 9 wks 5 days
We're leaving on our belated honeymoon in a few days. (Our first flying trip since finding out we're pregnant!) That's why we had to get our routine appointment in before we left. Dr. says everything is fine. Dr. gave me the do's and don'ts while on vacation and told me to be very careful with everything. Let's just hope I don't get too sick on the trip. Between morning sickness and motion sickness....I'll be a total wreck!

Another SURPRISE!

I've been sick all week! Nausea, vomitting and all the other morning sickness feelings. I stayed home from work for 3 days. I haven't quite told my Boss yet but if I continue to feel this way, I might have to tell him sooner than later!
Kevin came home and had a surprise for me (and Baby). I was sitting on the couch nauseous as hell. He told me to come outside and see the new neighbors. At that point I really didn't care about the "new neighbors". As I peeked out the door, he pushed me out further. I got mad and went back inside. He said, "You didn't see...look again." I was so irritated at that point. He pushed me out in front of the garage, looking down the street. At the corner of my eye I realized that inside the garage was a different car...not MY car. I turned to him and said, "Oh my gosh...where is MY car!?" Sitting in the garage was a brand new Acura TL, the car I've been wanting for the last 2 1/2 years. I hugged Kevin right away and was still shocked at how he pulled that off. Little did I know he had taken my old car to work and traded it in at the dealership for the new car. He wanted the Baby and I to be as safe as possible when driving and what better car than a car that has 8 airbags! LOL

Our Second Prenatal Appointment

I had my 2nd prenatal appointment today. I measured at 7 wks and 4 days. We were finally able to see clearer on the ultrasound. Dr. Phillips couldn't quite tell which end was the head and which end was the butt...but there was definitely a baby growing in my belly! WHEW! What a relief. I was also able to hear the heartbeat today. WOW! Very exciting I tell ya. Unfortunately Kevin wasn't able to make it this appointment but I sent him a picture message of the ultrasound right away!

Happy Birthday to ME!

Today is my 30th birthday. It was a normal day. I went to work. I've been having a lot of nausea lately and it's even hard for me to eat. Saltine crackers have been my best friend!

Surprise!

So my weekend was great! I was nervous about turning 30...being pregnant and not being able to celebrate the way I've always celebrated my birthdays. We had planned on taking a trip to Laughlin before we found out we were pregnant. Kevin, Maria and I went to Laughlin for the weekend. Little did I know it was a surprise birthday with some of our closest friends and family. I can't believe Kevin and Maria pulled something off so well...and I never had a clue!
Those who attended were:
Chris and Sherry, Daniel and Lora, Cynthia and Gerald, Joel and Marie, Brian and Amy, Manny, Maria...and even some of the TSK guys! (Jesse, Estelle, Mike P, Ethel, Finley and Sam)
We did some gambling, a lot of eating, jetskiing and relaxing. It was quite exhausting for me trying to stay up late, but I did pretty good. I even got a massage! A very much needed massage!
Thank you to those who surprised me and made my 30th birthday memorable.

First pre-natal appointment

I haven't been sleeping well the past few days. I know it's just the beginning and things will probably only get worse. Ahh..the "pains" of pregnancy. The heartburn, constipation, frequent urination and back pains are starting already.
Today was my first Dr. appt first thing in the morning. I met with my OBGYN, Dr. Robert Phillips. Off hand the Dr. couldn't tell if I was 5 wks or 8 wks since I'm so irregular. After doing an ultrasound I was actually earlier than they thought. It looked to be more like 5 wks. He suggested I come back in 2 weeks to do another ultrasound. All that was present today was the amniotic sac or "the water".
I was nervous and scared. I thought all kinds of negative thoughts. I needed to be positive though.
Just a lil' pea.

It's not a dream

I didn't sleep at all lastnight. I was nauseaous and hungry and I couldn't stop thinking about being pregnant. All kinds of thoughts were running through my head like the changes I had to make to have a healthy baby. I kept thinking to myself, "Oh my gosh...it wasn't a dream....I really am pregnant."
I bought my first 2 pregnany books today during my lunch hour at work.

We're having a BABY!

After weeks of eating everything in sight and sleeping almost all day long, I finally decided to take a pregnancy test. I woke up early this morning to go to the store to get a test. I came back home and took the test and it immediately turned positive. It wasn't as clear as I thought it would be so I didn't believe it. I called Maria right away and she said it had to be right. She bought me 2 more tests during lunch and I met her at her apt. I took another test and sure enough..it was bright and clear! I could not believe it. I was pacing and hyperventilating. The first thing I thought of was how I was going to surprise Kevin. I had to go back to work. It was so hard to concentrate the rest of the day. I immediately called my Dr. to make an appointment with her. She had room that same day. We again took another test and sure enough, the test turned positive quick! It's true!
I finally told Kevin over the phone cause I couldn't wait. He didn't believe me at all. I think he's still in shock. He came home and had bought me flowers and a cute card. I know deep down inside he's very happy and another part is scared.
We immediately told Grandma/Grandpa and Mama/Papa about the good news. We also told our closest friends.